Feelings for You
by Hitteh Pitteh
Summary: My first Naruto fic. Rated 'T' just to be safe. Kankurou used to think of her as a friend.... but now? He didn't know what to think. KankurouXTemari I AM NOT A SICKO! THEY WILL EVENTUALLY NOT BE BROTHER AND SISTER!
1. Chapter 1: As a Friend, Or More?

**Author's Note: **This is my first try ever at a Naruto fanfic. There just wasn't enough Kankurou fics out there. He is my favorite character, but isn't liked by many people it would seem. Aw, well. This story takes placed after the exams in Konoha. Please keep in mind that I've only watched up to the end of the fifth box set (FX). So if I get any details wrong, that's probably why. This story WON'T follow the Naruto story line or anything. It also contains the couple: KankurouXTemari. I AM NOT A SICKO! THEY WILL (eventually) NO LONGER BE BROTHER AND SISTER! So feel free to correct me and critique NICELY, but NO flames whatsoever. Please enjoy.

**Feelings for You**

**Chapter One: As a Friend... Or More?**

Kankurou had locked himself inside the bathroom, and was leaning against the tiled sink, absentmindedly rubbing the purple face paint off of his face with a washcloth. The black two-pointed hat that he usually wore attached to his metal forehead protector was hanging nearby him on the towel rack, and his spiky brown hair that looked almost identical to Gaara's was exposed. His baggy black outfit flowed loosely and comfortably around his body. He was trying to clear his mind from the stressful day he had just had by washing the paint from his face, but it wasn't working. Kankurou scarcely felt the rough towel soaked in cold water rubbing harshly on his skin. His mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about the person that always seemed to be the center of his thoughts: Temari.

Kankurou had always felt close to Temari. Having grown up most of their lives without a Mom, the two of them needed each other. There was Gaara, but he just wasn't the same. They had practiced their Ninja's arts together. When things were hard, the two of them talked deeply about their feelings. Kankurou needed Temari. His life had never felt complete without her. He worried about her like a mother worried over her firstborn child. Kankurou always tried to be watching over her. To be there if something went wrong and she was in trouble. A ninja's life was a dangerous one, after all. Why couldn't he stop thinking about Temari? He tried to pretend that he didn't fret over her. After all, a ninja was bound to run into some danger. But he was truly panicking every second they were in risk of battling. His greatest fear was losing her. Temari was the closest thing to a best friend that he had. He had always loved her, at first as a sister... and now...

Kankurou didn't know what to think anymore. Lately, his feelings for Temari had grown stronger. He longed to be near her at every moment. Why? Kankurou didn't know. It was a feeling deep in his heart that had always been there. A feeling that had just recently awakened. A deeper love for Temari. Not as a sister... but as much more. He wondered if Temari felt the same way. Of course she wouldn't. Temari was his SISTER. But then again...was she? How could he possibly feel this way about anyone who was related to him?

Kankurou slammed the washcloth forcefully into the counter, sending droplets of water splashing onto his face. He could see himself in the mirror. The paint covering his face was only half-washed, and was streaming down his cheeks in watery streaks. Temari... Something was wrong with him. Why couldn't he stop thinking about his sister! Kankurou sighed, giving into his jumble of thoughts and deciding to turn in for the night. The sky was dark through the slits that shown through the bathroom window. What time was it...? How longs had he been washing his face in the bathroom. The whole house was filled with a miserable silence.

"Huh. I must be really tired," Kankurou croaked out loud, in a voice that sounded hoarse and dehydrated. He observed dark circles forming under his eyes from behind the streaks of paint. It wasn't like he hadn't gotten enough sleep. But every day was agony. His head was always filled with such a whirlpool of hopeless thoughts.

And then there was Gaara. Ever since the battle that had taken place in that forest in Konoha, Gaara had been acting strange. He was even silencer then usual, his face contorted in such deep thought that it made Kankurou's head hurt. What had happened to him? Temari, who was usually kind and gentle with Gaara, had tried to pry the information from him, but Gaara was too smart to be won over by her act. He had refused to tell them anything. But Gaara also didn't seem to have his usual desire for blood, which was a good thing. While in Konoha, Gaara had begun to go insane or something. Why was everything so... weird right now!

Kankurou unlocked the bathroom door with a metallic click and trudged down the hallway wearily, grabbing the soft fabric of his hat in one hand. The whole house was cloaked in darkness, making Kankurou blink in vain as he tried to adjust his eyes that had grown accustomed to the bright lamp light shining strongly in the bathroom. He didn't care that his face was still half-covered in watery paint. He would wash it off tomorrow. If he ever got out of bed, that its. Kankurou could hardly keep his eyes open from pure exhaustion. Life had been so complicated lately. Kankurou just wanted to curl into bed and sleep for a couple long years. Of course, he couldn't do that. He had to practice using Karasu. He was already expert puppeteer for his age, but still needed a lot of work. Maybe tomorrow, if he could snag Temari alone, he could talk with her about his feelings. Although that would probably just completely scare her.

Kankurou blinked his eyes in surprise as he neared the end of the hallway. Was that a light? But the last room in the hall was HIS room. So why was the light on? Kankurou made sure never to leave his light on when he was away from the room. And surely Gaara would have turned it off so he could sulk in his room without a scrap of light to brighten the area. Oh, well. Maybe in his haze of confusion, Kankurou had left the light on. Argh! His head felt as if a cloud of dense fog was swirling around it. He shook his head numbly, trying to clear the unpleasant feeling.

"Hey, Kankurou." Kankurou eyes widened with shock, his body halfway through the door of his room as the feminine voice reached his ears. He rubbed one of his eyes as they transitioned from the darkness of the hallway to the brightness of his room. Then he saw her. She was sitting on his bed, flipping through some scroll that Kankurou had carelessly left on the ground. It appeared that she had been waiting. For him. Her hair was tied up in one spiky ponytail, different from her usual hair style. She was still in her tan outfit, but had taken her forehead protector from around her neck. A relaxed smile was spread across her face, her eyes bright. Kankurou lost his words for a second, unable to believe that the perfect opportunity he had been waiting for had come sooner then he had thought. Finally, he found his voice, though it was still the hoarse croak from earlier.

"Temari."

**End Note: **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Once again, NO FLAMES! If you don't like the couple, then don't read this fic! Thank You!


	2. Chapter 2: Bad News! What could it be?

**Quick Author's Note: **Well, that took awhile, didn't it? Sorry if anyone was really hooked to the story or something. I fear that the characters are extremely ooc... But I like them that way. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Feelings for You**

**Chapter Two: Bad News! What Could it Be?**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the sexy Kankurou or the awesome Temari. Sigh...

"Temari," Kankurou managed to say, staring in shock at the girl sitting on his bed. She deposited the scroll on his night stand and continued looking at him. Wait. Why was Temari in his room, waiting for him? Kankurou realized in surprise that this was the opportunity he had been asking for just seconds ago.

"Kankurou. You..." Temari's voice didn't sound cheerful and calm like it had before. It sounded like she was trying hide back laughter. Kankurou stared in bewilderment at her, reaching his hand to scratch the back of his head.

"Your face! I don't think you washed it all the way!" Temari broke off into a wave of laughter. Kankurou felt his face heat with embarrassment. He remembered that his face was right now streaked with wet, leftover paint.

"Ah... uh..." Kankurou stammered uncomfortably, not knowing exactly what to say. Great. How could he have a serious talk with Temari when she was too busy laughing at his paint-covered face? Kankurou knew that he was an idiot. He had always been a bit on the clumsy side. Even though he had no idea how an expert puppeteer could be so clumsy. He was slow and emotional, and a bit stupid at times. And, of course, Temari knew this, having grown up with him. But Kankurou still didn't like looking like a total goofball in front of her. And she was STILL laughing. Kankurou hadn't though that he looked THAT silly in the mirror.

"Here. Let me get that paint off your face," Temari offered, still chuckling as she dipped a cloth she kept in her pocket at all time- as an emergency bandage- into a small basin of water that Kankurou kept by his bedside. She motioned for Kankurou over to her and he obediently walked across the room.

"Okay. Kneel down so I can wash off your face," Temari commanded. Kankurou's face got even redder when he heard this.

"Temari! I can wash my own face," Kankurou protested. He broke off feebly as Temari stubbornly stared at him with threatening eyes. Kankurou sighed. When they were younger, Temari had been a bit more insecure and he had been the one to protect her and even boss her around at times. But over the years she had turned into the more assertive one and always got her way when it came to dealing with Kankurou. Both Gaara and Temari had no respect for him. Not that Kankurou minded. He wasn't exactly the wise leader type. He was strong enough, and was struggling to become a ninja- but he had always been gentle at heart. Sure he ripped his enemies to shreds, but it was only to protect those he cared about. Realizing that Temari was still staring intently at him, Kankurou hastily knelt on the floor so he was at eye-level with Temari.

"That's better. I can't talk to you while you have that silly make-up all over your face," Temari laughed, beginning to scrub roughly at his face. Kankurou barley even flinched at the fierceness like usual. Even though she was laughing, Temari's voice had had a strange tone to it. One that made Kankurou's insides churn. It sounded farther away then usual, almost even sad. What did she want to tell him? What could be important enough for her to wait in his room for who knows how long just to have a chance to speak with him alone? It couldn't be something that she simply wanted to tell him tomorrow. Then she would have waited until then.

"Kankurou? Are you okay?" Temari asked in concern, wringing purple-colored water from the now soaked cloth. Kankurou blinked twice before snapping out of his trance and answering.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Kankurou mumbled, still sounding hoarse and half-dazed. Temari shot him an 'I-know-you're-lying' look, and continued washing the paint from face.

In a few minutes she observed his face carefully and when she was finally satisfied, left the cloth in the basin of water to soak the paint out. Kankurou got back to his feet, brushing freezing, now pale purple droplets of water from his face. He noticed that Temari was staring at the wall, a strange look in her eyes. Kankurou bit back all the concern from his voice before he spoke.

"So, Temari? What was it that you wanted to talk about?" He asked, sitting down beside her on the soft bed. Temari shook her head a couple times to make herself concentrate on their conversation.

"Ah, yes," She sighed, hesitating before she continued," Well, I've actually known what I'm about to tell you for a couple weeks. I just didn't know how to tell you this..." She broke off, looking away from him. Kankurou stared at her in concern. What was she so worked up about? Everything seemed to be going fine.

"Is it good news or bad news?" Kankurou asked curiously, scratching his head in confusion. By the way she was talking, it seemed as if the news was good AND bad.

"I'm not really sure," Temari admitted, "It depends on how you look at it. I mean, YOU might think it's bad news, but I don't see it as either." Kankurou sat there in shock. He hadn't been expecting THAT answer. His voice caught up in his throat and he nodded once to encourage her to continue.

"This might sound a little weird but... I'm not your sister. I'm not even part of this family," Temari informed him, deciding to dodge the subject no longer. Kankurou was unable to let this piece of information digest. It was just... impossible. Kankurou had spent his entire life with Temari. She was the closest person in the world to him. He knew everything about her. Or at least... he thought he did. But... not his sister? No. No way. Not even a chance. She was joking. But... if she was joking, why had she waited for him? It couldn't be. Questions raced through Kankurou's head so fast that he had to rub his head with his hand to stop the throbbing. Why had she always lived with him? Why had she just found this out a couple weeks ago?

Kankurou had never seen any signs that she hadn't been related. Never seen anything suspicious or out of the ordinary about her. She treated Gaara and him like brothers. The only thing that made Temari not seem like his sister was his feelings for her.

"Sis...ter?" Kankurou choked out, hardly able to squeeze the words from his suddenly parched mouth.

"Yes. It's true. I've never been related to you. Though you're still related to Gaara," Temari smiled apologetically, reaching out a warm hand to grab his. Kankurou just looked at her, his heart beating fast. No. Why?

"I talked to the Kazekage- Gaara- a couple weeks ago. He had just received a message from my real parents. Turns out that your dad took me in when I was just a kid because my parents were struggling..." Temari explained. Kankurou finally found his voice and immediately asked a question.

"How come your family haven't contacted us before now!" Kankurou demanded, anger thought not at Temari herself.

"That's because they have been wandering from place to place so much that contacting us was impossible. They've finally settled down- but far away from this place. I don't know where exactly, the message didn't say," Temari's voice was soothing, trying to get him to calm down. But Kankurou wouldn't settle down just yet. He still needed to know many things.

"How come Dad never told us! He never even told you!" Kankurou pointed out, trying to find a weakness in Temari's story. Why was he trying so hard to prove her wrong when he wished more then anything that she wasn't his sister?

"How would I know? He probably wanted us all to become a peaceful family. And Kankurou, would you please try to calm down?" Temari sighed, something like a smile on her face.

"The message could have been a fake!" Kankurou declared desperately, and then broke off weakly as he realized how stupid he was being.

"Come on, stupid! You know that you'll always be my dopey little brother no matter how close we're related," Temari stared into Kankurou's eyes, hoping he would accept the facts she had just told him. Kankurou thought for a minute before he spoke. It wasn't that he was MAD at Temari or anything... not at all. He was just shocked. His entire life had changed in just seconds... or maybe minutes. Kankurou didn't know. His life felt timeless right now. Kankurou couldn't manage to pin his emotions down from their wild patterns so he could just think for a second. The emotions were swirling rapidly through his entire body, making him feel dizzy. He opened his mouth to speak, and was instantly slammed with a new fear.

"Since you're not in the family- you're not- I mean, are you going to leave the house?" Kankurou stammered in a strained voice. If Temari left the house then- what would he do? Who would talk to him? Who would train with him? No one could replace Temari for him. He fixed Temari with a desperate stare, hanging onto her every breath as he awaited the answer.

"No, silly!" Temari was unable to hide the laughter in her voice as she responded to his question. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder as she laughed, making him flinch in surprise. Kankurou let out a slow breath of relief. Okay, so maybe he had overreacted. But she didn't have to make FUN of him!

"Temari! Don't tease me like that when I'm so scared!" Kankurou scolded, blush spreading across his face. Temari managed to settle down someone but continued laughing softly as she responded, leaning against his shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry! You're just so dramatic at times..." Temari finally broke from her laughter and added, "Yeah, I'll be staying here for the time being. That's what the message instructed, anyways..." Kankurou let out another sigh of relief, still blushing a bit.

"So what DID that message basically say?" Kankurou asked. Now that he was over his shock, feelings of curiosity had begun to fill him.

"Just telling me that they loved me and they were doing fine. Also that I could probably visit them later, just not quite yet," Temari explained, her voice sounding tired. Kankurou felt tired as well. It was late into the night and he had been planning to train up early into the morning. He looked down at Temari's face still resting on his shoulder and smiled to let her know that he had been shocked, but was now okay with the situation. Temari mimed his expression and then relaxed her expression as she closed her eyes.

"As long as you don't have to leave yet..." Kankurou murmured, breaking off as he shut his eyes as well. Some things were so strange. Like, why Temari and him were half-sleeping while leaning against each other even though they could easily go to the beds just a bit away from them. It was so strange...

A relaxed silence had fogged throughout the room, making Kankurou's eyelids and limbs heavy with exhaustion. He couldn't help wondering, was this really the type of relationship a 'dopey little brother' and his sister had? Or was Temari lying to him just as he was lying to her? Kankurou had to admit that it felt like more then just a sibling's relationship. Gaara was his sibling, and he had never felt this close to Gaara. Temari was more patient and kind to Gaara, but she didn't seem to talk to him nearly as much either. And now that Temari and he were officially not related, the closeness seemed to have risen even more. Yeah...

Kankurou's consciousness had nearly left him when-

"Have you told him yet, already? The light in this room is bugging me!" Gaara burst into the room in his loose, gray nightclothes. Kankurou and Temari's eyes instantly snapped open.

"Uhm... Yes, actually..." A very flustered Temari managed to choke out as she hastily detached herself from Kankurou. And equally embarrassed Kankurou was unable to find his voice and just sat dumbly on the bed, blushing furiously and vigorously scratching the back of his head as if he had lice or something. Gaara only took a moment to figure out the situation and stood looking at the pair, his arms folded across his chest and a knowing smile on his face.

"Well, make sure to turn out that light," Gaara reminded, giving them one last teasing look with his hooded eyes before turning his heel and striding back down the hallway. Temari and Kankurou sat drenched in the heavy, awkward silence for a few minutes before Temari finally took action.

"Gaara, wait! It wasn't what you think-"She called after him, lurching up from the bed and pursuing him in a clumsy stumble down the hallway. The buzz of her and Gaara speaking to one another blurred into the background noise in Kankurou's brain. His heart stopped hammering and the pink left his cheeks.

"'Wasn't what he thought', huh?" Kankurou chuckled, sliding both legs on the bed and lying on the mattress with a thoughtful expression on his face. His emotions might be funny to Temari, but Temari's were also fun for him. He couldn't wait until tomorrow. His first official day of not having a sister...

**End Note:** Did you enjoy it? I told you that everyone was ooc. I, personally, like thinking of Kankurou as a tough guy who acts like a wimp around those he knows. The anime didn't give him enough screen time to determine a real character. So, enough about that...

**Reviews: **

_Yexis: _I added Gaara a chapter early (for a bit). Sorry it took so long, I was having a hard time. I'll most likely update faster next time.

_Sandcest Lovers: _Sorry, but I just don't really care for that stuff. I think it's gross. I made a stupid excuse to end their sibling-ship simply so I could have a cute, fluffy couple with a normal relationship. Sorry.

Remember, NO FLAMES!


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